Brief aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1918

This is a letter to Amice Zilcken, from N.J. Singels, written in Utrecht in 1918. The words are formed with a delicate, consistent pressure, flowing across the page in an act of controlled release. Look at how the ink bleeds ever so slightly into the fibers of the paper. It’s this kind of small detail that reminds me of the tender negotiations that go on with artmaking. The writing is so neat and even, but it’s also imbued with the charming flaws that only handwriting can possess. These little quirks offer insight into the artist’s hand, turning the text into something incredibly intimate. The letters are like tiny abstract paintings, each stroke revealing something about Singels’ state of mind as he wrote. I think about Cy Twombly sometimes, and the way that his mark-making on canvas transformed the language of abstract expressionism. In a similar way, this letter elevates the practice of handwriting into something artful, echoing the tradition of asemic writing, where script becomes a purely visual form. It's a reminder that art exists in conversation, and that even the simplest act of communication can become a form of creative expression.